27+ Easy No Cook Camping Meals: Perfect For Lazy Campers!
What’s your favorite way to cook your camping food? If your answer is “none” these no cook camping meals are perfect for you! If you’re dealing with fire restrictions or just feeling lazy, these no-cook food ideas and recipes will satisfy your hunger and taste buds!
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No-Cook Camping Food Ideas
This is a great food list of items to take camping, no cooking required!
- Deli cold cut meats, cheeses and hot dogs (great keto camping food option)
- Deli prepared chicken salad and tuna salad
- Pre-popped popcorn
- Fresh fruit
- Prepared fruit dip
- Fresh veggies (cherry tomatoes and baby carrots are nice bite-sized options)
- Prepared veggie dip with bite-sized fresh vegetables for dipping
- Hard boiled eggs
- Energy bars and granola bars
- Dry cereal and milk
- Instant oatmeal (you can let the oats soak (about 30 minutes) in cold water for a truly no-cook breakfast, but, if you have the ability to boil water, you can actually eat them as a hot meal)
- Bagels and cream cheese (I like adding a slice of tomato, red onion and lox to make a traditional Jewish deli breakfast sandwich)
- Canned tuna
- Flavored tuna packets (great for a packed lunch and easier to eat than a can of tuna on long day-hikes)
- Nuts
- Tortillas (make an easy meal by spreading some canned bean dip, sprinkling shredded cheddar cheese and roll up for a no-cook bean burrito)
- Canned sardines
- Tortilla chips
- Crackers
- Ramen noodles in a cup (just add hot water to the cup, no extra pot is required)
- Prepared hummus
- String cheese
- Canned salmon
- Greek yogurt topped with fresh or dried fruit
- Beef jerky (teriyaki, peppered and BBQ are some of our favorite flavors)
- English Muffins (I like using a flavored variety, like cinnamon raisin, and spreading with a sweet spreadable cream cheese)
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Graham crackers dipped in marshmallow fluff and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips (an easy way to enjoy a no-cook alternative to traditional s’mores when your camping adventures are limited by a burn ban fire restriction)
- Dried fruit (I love shopping at Costco for camping food like this, they have a great variety of dried fruit. The organic tart cherries and dried mangoes are my favorites.)
Charcuterie Boards
Prepare a charcuterie board from common items available at any grocery store. You can buy small quantities of items at the fresh salad bar that will give you a lot of variety on your cheese board with nice sliceable hard cheeses and spreadable soft cheeses. Look for items like artichoke hearts and red bell peppers marinated in olive oil and condiments like fancy mustard varieties and unique jelly selections. Don’t forget to pick up a few fancy olives, summer sausage and assorted crackers. Wedges of pita bread are a nice addition to turn an appetizer tray into full no-cook meals.
No-Cook Recipes
1. Pesto Tomato Wraps
Wraps make really easy camping meals but some recipes still require cooking … not this pesto tomato wrap that uses only 5 simple ingredients!
My 5 Ingredient BLT Camping Wraps use bacon. When I’m making these I throw a few extra slices in my breakfast frying pan so the meat is ready for a no-cook lunch. You can also cook the bacon at home or purchase pre-cooked bacon at the grocery store if you want to make them when having an open fire is prohibited during burn bans.
2. Easy No Cook Healthy Southwest Camping Salad Recipe
This southwest salad is one of our favorite vegetarian camping recipes that can be eaten with a fork or rolled up in a tortilla to make a hearty wrap.
Camp Casual Bowl & Servers Set
The black beans provide fiber and protein, the corn provides sweetness and the cayenne pepper adds a little heat.
3. Overnight Oats
Try this easy recipe for breakfast or dessert on your next camping trip. Place coconut milk, oats and whatever flavorful fruit you want mason jars or any container with a tight-fitting lid. Then, stir, cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 5 hours). I like topping it off with a drizzle of maple syrup or a few small pieces of dark chocolate when I want a really special treat.
This tasty breakfast is a great way to get complex carbohydrates into the most important meal of the day which is really great for long or short trips on hiking trails.
4. Fruit And Nut Peanut Butter Stuffed Tortilla
This healthy stuffed tortilla is a simple meal packed with protein and makes an awesome breakfast, lunch, dessert or snack!
5. Bagel Sandwiches
Get your favorite flavored bagel and top it with cream cheese, a slice of tomato and a sliver of red onion.
The best food for camping with no cooking meals still requires you to know how to keep food cold while camping.
I want "5 Secrets To Successful Camping Trips" plus weekly camping tips & recipes.
6. Fresh Guacamole
Fresh guacamole is an awesome camping snack that uses mostly non-refrigerated ingredients and requires zero cooking … yum!
7. Ham And Cheese Salad Stuffed Tortillas
I love putting my favorite salads in a tortilla to make a speedy meal. Many of these ingredients are perishable so make sure you know how to pack a cooler efficiently.
Salad wraps are great no cook options that use good food to make a delicious meal. You can change up this recipe by swapping out the ham and using turkey with the lettuce and fixings. You can also change up the dressing to make it a more savory flavor profile.
8. Yogurt And Fruit Bowl
Take some yogurt and top it with fresh fruit and granola for an easy camping breakfast, no cook needed!
9. Panzanella Salad
This panzanella salad is one of my favorite no cook dinners for hot days. It is also one of my favorite summertime recipes that I scale down when making camping meals for two.
Get our tips on how to keep food fresh while camping when you are making meals heavy with fresh camping veggies.
10. Mexican Three Bean Salad
This Mexican bean salad is vegan, cheap and one of our camping food recipes with no refrigeration ingredients. It makes a great salad or meatless burrito.
11. Chicken Parmesan Wrap Recipe
Use shredded rotisserie chicken, canned chicken or chicken you cook, shred and freeze for later use at the campsite to make this quick and simple wrap.
12. Raw Veggie Wraps
Take a tortilla or a flavored wrap (like spinach or sun-dried tomato), spread on a little hummus and fresh veggies (like spinach, tomato and red onion) for healthy camping food, no cooking necessary. You can even add a bit of feta cheese (or you favorite variety) and some beans and nuts.
13. Fresh Summer Fruit Tossed In Honey Mint Syrup
Nothing tastes as good as fresh fruit in the summer! The honey mint syrup puts this fruit salad recipe at the top of our “family favorites” list.
14. Basil And Prosciutto Sandwich
Sandwiches with fresh, slightly-fancy ingredients make your supper meal fast without sacrificing flavor.
15. Blue And Cheddar Cheeseball
You can make this elegant and easy cheeseball several days before your trip! This is one of the best camping snacks to enjoy with a nice glass of wine.
16. Sweet Onion Salsa Recipe
Fresh quality ingredients are the secret to awesome salsa. It’s an awesome snack or appetizer for Mexican meals.
17. Nutty Berry Trail Mix
Trail mix is a great snack to take on day hikes. Combine your favorite ingredients like mixed nuts, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds and dried fruit like pineapple, raisins, cranberries, blueberries, banana chips and apple chips.
18. Refrigerator Cucumber Salad
Enjoy these fresh & easy “quick pickles” after you chop the veggies and let them sit in a simple homemade dressing for at least 6 hours. This salad is a wonderful side dish or a healthy snack.
Make-Ahead Cook Meal Options
19. Bacon And Cheese Quiche
Quiche is perfect for the campsite but also travels well making it a great option for extended travel when you need road trip food ideas and travel snacks.
20. Camp Dutch Oven Coffee Cake
This coffee cake is one of my favorite Dutch oven camping recipes that is really easy to make at the campsite or at home in a regular oven.
22. Greek Tomato And Feta Pasta Salad
Cold pasta salads make really nice summer lunch meals at the campsite. This recipe is meatless but you can also add cubed chicken to make it a bit more filling.
23. Dutch Oven Cinnamon Bread
Camp Chef Dutch Oven Carry Bag
Sweet breads are on the top of my list of camping breakfast ideas but they also make nice desserts too.
24. Potato Salad With Bacon And Chives
Make ahead meal prep can consist of just prepping food at home that needs to be cooked at the campsite … but … other recipes can be fully prepared in your home kitchen.
This potato salad is loaded with bacon and is one of my husband’s favorite make ahead camping meals that actually tastes better after the flavors marry for a couple of days.
25. Caramel Nut Brownies
It is nice to have camping dessert recipes that can be made in advance and wrapped as individual servings like these caramel nut brownies.
26. Campfire Dutch Oven Jalapeño Cornbread
Cornbread makes a yummy snack that can be made in advance and frozen for future trips.
27. Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls
These peanut butter balls are made with non-perishable ingredients. They’re easy to make as one of our camp stove recipes but they are also perfect for making at home and freezing until you are ready to eat them. Kids of all ages love these things!
28. Spiced-Up Mixed Nuts
Nuts with a slightly hot spice are fun to eat as a happy hour snack at camp.
Make Ahead Freezer Meals
If you want to enjoy a full meal but the last thing you want to do at camp is prep and cook food, try my lazy camping food options.
A good way to meet all your needs is to use freezer make ahead meals. You prep everything at home, freeze flat in gallon sized freezer bags then at camp you just defrost, “dump & cook” or “dump & reheat”.
I’ve got tons of make ahead camping meals your whole family will love. These recipes are a great addition to your menu options, it’s the perfect way to spend less time working on your trips while still providing a great meal in the great outdoors. The best part is they significantly reduce your cleanup time too!
My fellow campers have especially enjoyed these FREEZER MEALS:
- Chicken Fajitas
- Pesto Tortellini Bake
- Thai Campfire Chicken
- French Dip Beef Sandwiches
- Chili Mac
Some of our other easy recipes include campfire foil meals. When you cook and eat out of a foil packet, there is virtually no clean up after your meal!
My one pot camping meals are awesome. One of my favorite recipes cooks spaghetti in a cast iron skillet right in the sauce, no extra pot of boiling water is required!
FREE Printable Menu Planner
Get your FREE printable camping trip & menu planner before you create your next meal plan!
More Camping Meal Ideas
Make every meal exciting on your next trip!
If you’re looking for awesome ideas for yummy camping food, you’re in the right place! Here’s our entire camping recipes list.
